why EE?

[roosty]

I know this is beating a dead horse but....I wouldnt call an EE a mutt. I realize they dont meet the standard, therefore they are an EE. I know they are not a true breed either.But EE's do have certain characteristics to them. But just cause it has green legs and such does not mean its an EE. There are plenty of other mixtures it could be. I would call all those other mixes mutts. If you bred a real ameraucana to a real ameraucana and dont get the right color then you have an EE right? Well, isnt it still an ameraucana it just dont meet the standard. Both parents were pure. Like breeding a white cochin to a black cochin. the baby is still a cochin just mixed color.
I have EE's and I dont claim they are anything else but EE's but I dont feel they are mutts either. I feel there is a difference between a mutt and an EE.
Just my 2 cents and the way I feel about it.
Thanks for listening.

 

[klf73]

Quote:
that is my point, EE's are EE's, but all other *backyard specials* are now being classified as EE's

Although EE's are not purebred they still have standards

I have true ameraucana, true araucana and I have some EE's. I also have some mutts, they are NOT EE's.
I guess my gripe is that every time someone does not know what a breed is someone throws in "it must be an easter egger". I would rather take my time to help this person research what breed they have than just give them misinformation......Just my 2 cents....

ETA- I do not want to turn this into anything that has to do with true ameraucana, that is not what this post is about, but just people throwing EE at anything they don't know.....

 

[roosty]

Quote:
that is my point, EE's are EE's, but all other *backyard specials* are now being classified as EE's

Although EE's are not purebred they still have standards

I have true ameraucana, true araucana and I have some EE's. I also have some mutts, they are NOT EE's.
I guess my gripe is that every time someone does not know what a breed is someone throws in "it must be an easter egger". I would rather take my time to help this person research what breed they have than just give them misinformation......Just my 2 cents....

ETA- I do not want to turn this into anything that has to do with true ameraucana, that is not what this post is about, but just people throwing EE at anything they don't know.....

I totally got what your saying...the name EE is used WAY too much...Not every chick is an EE if you dont know what it is...EE's do have certain characteristics like i said before. We do need to try to figure out what it is before saying EE. Just my 2 cents again.

ETA- I do not want to turn this into anything that has to do with true ameraucana, that is not what this post is about, but just people throwing EE at anything they don't know.....

I got you there...i dont either..I know the difference between the two...
Thanks for listening again

 

[Justino]

i didnt know there are any other breeds with green legs

MUTT CHICKENS!

 

[dustysangel]

I agree with you Roosty. I am hatching EEs and there will be some mutts in the bunch too. I have 9 'real' EEs,, 4 RIR, 3 white rocks, & 1 BO. In the bator I have about 5 'real' EE eggs 4 possible mutts and 1 mutt egg. Beards, green leggs & rainbow eggs.Some people don't care if they are mutts because they lay eggs.

 

[hippie]

i love my chicken mutts. i am striving to have the most beautiful mutts (EE's) in the state of missouri. it's alot easier to change a rooster to get different qualities in your chicks than to replace 20 hens.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

Quote:
I've noticed the same thing. Any mystery chick may be called an EE, even though it doesn't even have any typical EE traits - the person can't identify it, so they assume it's an EE.

An EE may be a mix, but it's a purposeful mix. They are bred for specific traits - the fluffy faces we love & the colorful eggs. IMO, a mutt is a chicken not bred for specific traits - like an accidental breeding or just the offstpring of mixed flocks. Sexlinks are another example of purposeful mixed breeding and I haven't seen anyone calling them mutts.

In the dog world, we have labradoodles and cockapoos - they are mixed breeds, but popular and expensive dogs even though the breeder doesn't know which parent the offspring will mostly resemble.

EEs are actually pretty consistent in their features, temperaments and the way they look. Occasionally, an EE may lay a plain brown egg or be missing muffs, etc, but occasional flaws like that can even happen with purebred ameraucanas. Almost all of the EE hens I see on BYC (from different hatcheries) seem to resemble each other - I frequently see twins of my EEs posted on BYC. You can see here how similar the EEs look to each other: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=128806&p=1

I know easter eggers are not in the same class as purebred ameraucanas and araucanas, but they're also not just any old mix (mutts).

 

[Wynette]

Quote:
Um.....nope. A purebred Ameraucana will never lay a brown egg.

That being said, I have Ameraucanas, EEs, and mutts. I love them all, but my EEs are my best layers (other than my production layers)!!

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

Quote:
Um.....nope. A purebred Ameraucana will never lay a brown egg.

That being said, I have Ameraucanas, EEs, and mutts. I love them all, but my EEs are my best layers (other than my production layers)!!

I didn't necessarily mean a brown egg, but purebred ameraucanas sometimes lay eggs that aren't blue.

 

[Wynette]

Now THAT is true. In fact, it's difficult IMO to find one that DOES actually lay a true blue color. Sigh....